Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is frequently seen as one of the most difficult but favored poker variations. It’s a variation that, even more than normal Omaha poker, invites play from every level of players. This is the chief reason why a once invisible game, has increased in popularity so rapidly.
Omaha/8 starts exactly like a normal game of Omaha. 4 cards are dealt to every player. A round of betting follows where players can bet, check, or fold. 3 cards are handed out, this is referred to as the flop. A further round of betting ensues. After all the gamblers have in turn called or dropped out, an additional card is flipped on the turn. an additional sequence of wagering ensues and then the river card is flipped. The entrants will have to make the best high and low five card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is the point where some entrants often get flustered. Unlike Texas Holdem, where the board can be everyone’s hand, in Omaha Hi-Lo the player has to use exactly 3 cards on the board, and precisely 2 cards from their hand. No more, no less. Contrary to regular Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot could be won: the "higher hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is just how it sounds. It’s the best possible hand out of everyone’s, whether that is a straight, flush, full house. It’s the same approach in nearly all poker games.
A low hand is more complicated, but really free’s up the play. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. the lowest hand is the weakest hand that can be made, with the worst being A-2-3-4-5. Since straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest possible hand. The low hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and smaller. The low hand wins half of the pot, as does the higher hand. When there’s no lower hand available, the high hand takes the whole pot.
Although it seems complicated at first, after a couple of hands you will be agile enough to get the basic subtleties of the game simply enough. Since you have people betting for the low and wagering for the high, and seeing as such a large number of cards are being used at once, Omaha 8 or better provides an amazing collection of wagering possibilities and because you have numerous individuals trying for the high hand, as well as many shooting for the low. If you enjoy a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it’s worth your time to play Omaha hi low.